Kevin Gorman Columns category, Page 9

Mason Rudolph put an exclamation point on his final play of the preseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing a picture-perfect touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first half. Rudolph’s 31-yard touchdown to Johnny Holton with 9 seconds left in the first half of a 25-19 loss to the...

If the Pittsburgh Steelers needed any reminder that a spot on an NFL roster isn’t guaranteed, they came in the form of players who were practicing one day and gone the next. They saw defensive end Lavon Hooks leaving on a golf cart, then wearing a protective boot and staring...

Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph aren’t the only Pittsburgh Steelers well aware that the preseason finale at the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night is their final audition. Their teammates have popcorn ready for the Battle of the Backups, the penultimate episode in the Game of Clipboards. “I’m watching them in...

All eyes were on the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks in their preseason game Sunday night at the Tennessee Titans, and not just because Ben Roethlisberger made his debut. Andrew Luck’s retirement rocked the NFL, turning the Indianapolis Colts into a team desperate for quarterback depth. The Steelers have a surplus at...

When Jimmy Morrissey ran through the tunnel at Heinz Field on Friday at Pitt’s rehearsal scrimmage for the season opener, it was not just as the starting center but a team captain. It’s just the latest accolade for Morrissey with the Panthers. He’s ascended from former walk-on to All-ACC third-team...

The stunning, sudden retirement of Andrew Luck shook the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. To see a franchise quarterback call it quits at age 29 sent shockwaves throughout the NFL. Luck might have terrible timing — announcing it only two weeks before the season opener — but I can’t help but...

Teryl Austin can joke about how coaching for the Pittsburgh Steelers has fixed friendships but fractured the family that has followed his 15-year NFL career from Seattle to Arizona to Baltimore to Detroit to his short stay in Cincinnati. “I got a lot of friends that are talking to me...

Mike Tomlin promised to “create a little pressure” for Chris Boswell this preseason, pushing the fifth-year kicker to return to Pro Bowl form for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That became the burning question throughout training camp: What constituted a pressure kick? The countdown kicks at Saint Vincent or the field-goal showdown...

Sutton Smith went from being one of the most intriguing storylines of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp to an afterthought when he was sidelined for a long stretch. Never was that more evident than last week, when Mike Tomlin was asked if the sixth-round pick from Northern Illinois was falling behind...

The NFL preseason should come with a warning label: Objects on your television aren’t as close as they appear. When it comes to watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, you can’t trust everything you see. You certainly can’t trust preseason statistics to tell the story of training camp. And, no matter what...

The Pittsburgh Steelers started the week dealing with the death of Darryl Drake, and Mike Tomlin warned football wouldn’t necessarily provide a return to normalcy. The Steelers rescheduled their routine this week to grieve the passing of their wide receivers coach. Their initial return to the practice field was interrupted...

When Dr. David Altchek operated on the flexor tendon of Jameson Taillon’s right arm and determined Tommy John surgery was required, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their ace. Or, at least, Taillon was the closest thing the Pirates had to an ace, not to mention a leader. The 27-year-old right-hander was...

Signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers was a “dream come true” for Kevin Rader, a first-year tight end from Pine-Richland and Youngstown State — except for one small detail. Rader didn’t dare to dream it. “I never saw it coming,” Rader said Wednesday at training camp at Saint Vincent. “I love...

SC Featured producer Jon Fish approached Rocky Bleier a decade ago about the idea of doing a documentary where the Pittsburgh Steelers great would return to Vietnam for the first time in 40 years and revisit sites from his tour. “To some degree,” Bleier said, “I kind of poo-pooed it.”...

The serene setting at Saint Vincent suddenly felt like an eerie silence — save the occasional caws of crows flying among the trees — when the church bells rang at Saint Vincent Basilica to signal Sunday Mass was soon to start. A sudden pall was cast over the site of...

You know it’s only the NFL preseason when there are more fans in their seats at Heinz Field at the start of the second half than for the opening kickoff. Then again, there might have been more fans in their seats after the 2018 season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals...

Sean Davis isn’t happy about being stuck on the sidelines for the majority of training camp, a self-described cheerleader for the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary. While recovering from a fractured ring finger on his left hand — taped to cover what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called “an open wound” — the...